• Download the Ethical Considerations worksheet and reflect on the dilemmas of each project description.

• Complete the worksheet as a team or individually. Make notes as you go along so you can refer back to these discussions as you develop your video essay project.

• Upload a copy to your Collaborative Workspace Padlet.

• A decision matrix helps you develop project focus

• Once you've made a first draft, there will be an opportunity for you to discuss your ideas and talk through any questions with your academic facilitator.

• Continue to work on the matrix until you have reached a decision on what to focus on.

• Upload to your Collaborative Workspace Padlet once completed so you have a reference point for your original intentions.

NARRATIVE: A spoken, written, performed or visualised account of connected events

STORYBOARD: A sequence of drawings, typically with some directions and dialogue, representing the shots planned for a film or television production.

INSTRUCTIONS

Task (45mins)

Use the storyboard template to sketch out the narrative for your video essay and how it might be illustrated visually.

• Develop simple sketches to communicate the main scenes

• Use arrows to communicate movement or transitions

• Write a couple of short bullet points for each frame to communicate your intention and position/argument

• Upload to your collaborative workspace padlet

• The clip can be raw footage you have either filmed or found and are planning to edit and use.

• We're not asking for a polished Hollywood-type trailer, it's more about sharing your progress and giving a sense of the direction.

• Use this as an opportunity for your team to figure out how you will manage the final steps of the video essay production.

• Remember to refer back to your video treatment (and complete this if unfinished).

• After you share your clip, be prepared to talk about how your project is addressing the brief and meeting the three learning outcomes.

Use a film editing platform of your choice. Instagram has some fun and easy editing tools to play with, but there are other platforms.

Consider the following when putting together your reel:

• Find images, text, moving images of your favourite projects you have completed at CSM or somewhere else

• Include text, keywords, and images to help others understand your social/cultural identities and values

• Use music, animation, still or moving images, words, emojis to create layers of expression

• The reel introduces yourself to the team as well as generates footage or an approach you might end up using in the final video essay.

• Share your reel with your peers by uploading it to the Collaborative Workspace padlet.

Things to talk about before/after your tutorial

• Video treatment - which sections are you clear about? Which are less clear?

• Complete the Decision Matrix if you haven't yet done so (see previous session)

• Have your Team Agreement and Progress tracker ready to discuss.

• Remember to add your notes in collaborative workspace padlet so you can refer back to them.

If you still need inspiration for crafting your video essay narrative, spend time to find an engaging story (graphic novel, exhibition, journalism, or in a work of art, design or performance). You can also think about a story you've been told or even been part of. Then consider the following:

• What is the overall structure of the story, i.e. what is the beginning, middle and end?

• Who is telling the story and in what style?

• Who are the main characters, why are they interesting?

• What is the setting/context and why is this important?

• Is there anything else you notice which makes the story engaging?

• Upload references to your collaborative workspace padlet.

Once you have graded each of the projects, and justified your decision, you will discuss with your peers to see if you can find consensus on which video essay should be awarded the highest, middle and lowest grade.

• Download, complete and sign the team agreement

• Decide when you will revisit the agreement

• Upload the agreement to your Collaborative Workspace Padlet

INSTRUCTIONS

• Download the video treatment template

• Read and discuss the treatment as a team

• Complete with text and images to give your video essay project more focus

• Once you have completed the video treatment upload a copy to your Collaborative Workspace Padlet

https://www.recipesforwellbeing.org/the-wheel-of-social-identity/

NB: if the form doesn't open and you are using Safari as your internet browser, please try using a different browser (e.g. Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge).

• Download and complete the progress tracker to discuss at your group tutorial

• Upload the tracker to your collaborative workspace padlet

See also: D’Ignazio, C. and Klein, L.F. (2020) Data feminism. MIT Press. Available at: https://data-feminism.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/frfa9szd/release/6(Accessed: 12 May 2026).

See also: Gleick, P.H. (2022) ‘Freshwater’, in Thunberg, G. (ed.) The climate book. London: Allen Lane, pp. 55–56. Available at: https://arts.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://arts.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.vlebooks.com/product/openreader?id=UALONDON&accId=9120256&isbn=9780141999050&uid=%5Eu&uid=%5Eu (Accessed: 12 May 2026).

• Deadline: 1 September 2026, before 12:00 (UK time) to Moodle

Reflective Journal requirements

As outlined in the brief, as you prepare the final submission, double check:

• Any original footage was filmed using a camera phone

• Harvard Referencing is used if existing work has been included in the film (e.g. archival or stock footage, quotations, library images etc)

• Content warnings. If the final film includes flashing lights, nudity, sex, violence, or any other explicit or discriminatory content that viewers might find distressing, a warning should be included at the start of the film.

• The video essay must have an audio track (a scripted essay presented either as spoken narration or as on-screen text) and a video track which illustrates the essay.

• Captions and subtitles. Any spoken language must be captioned. If languages other than English are used, these must be translated using English subtitles.

• Duration. Make sure your film is between 3-5 minutes in length (including end credits). Anything more than 10% +/- of this duration may lose marks under LO3.